Short Term Volunteer Projects In Germany (1-13 Weeks)

I recall the moment when I first walked upstairs into the Excellence Center, having just arrived from Berlin. An incredibly friendly, long-haired man by the name of Muaz welcomed me to the center, followed by Rafat himself.

How should I describe Rafat? If I had to use a singular word I would use unique. Unique in the sense that he’s a Palestinian living in Germany, unique in that he had a dream to create a center where English speakers could teach their mother tongue to refugees. However, what is most unique about him is his unbridled and unrestricted kindness. Rafat is the type of guy who, never having met you before, will offer you tea the moment you step into the center. Personally, I had to split up my stay into two separate segments due to unforeseen circumstances, and Rafat assured me that he would accomodate my needs.

As for Muaz, he’s a teacher whose talents know no limits. I am half-German myself and therefore I know the elementary components of the language. Muaz, within our first lesson, grasped my proficiency level. From then on, he continued to teach me parts of the language related to my desire to study at a German university. We talked about anything and everything within our lessons, and it was honestly the first time I had fun while learning a language.

A small shoutout to Dušan, who is the one of the workers at the center. He’s from Serbia and the conversations we had in Serbo-Croatian made me feel at home. He’s an incredibly affectionate and intelligent individual whose presence lightens up the place.

Ali, one of the Arabic teachers at the center, is someone who intrigues you upon first sight. His outfits will convince you that you’re in Paris rather than Halle, and his fluency in 4+ languages will always serve as an example for the volunteers and students alike.

At first, I felt very frightened by the prospect of teaching given my lack of experience. However, I would say at this point that teaching English was my favorite part of the whole experience, as not only did it improve my German (most of the students speak at least some German), but it allowed me to have a deeper glimpse into the struggles that Ukrainian and Syrian refugees go through in their desire to live a better life in Germany. My students were excellent and I would say that the learning was reciprocal. They learned from me as well as vice versa.

There are several living quarters. I stayed at the “dream house,” where there are three bedrooms and six beds total (two per each). There’s two bathrooms (only one with a toilet, though), a kitchen, and a living room. It’s quite nice and I would say it allowed me not only to see Halle from above (it’s on the fourth floor of an apartment building), but also socialize with the other volunteers.

The only thing that I want to put out a notice for is the organization of one’s stay here. Depending on whether one is doing an intensive learning course will determine whether one also teaches. The methodology and scheduling of teaching are entirely up to the volunteers, although just ask the workers for a little help and they will certainly give it.

Overall, Halle beat all of my expectations and I would highly recommend my stay here. I would particularly like to thank everyone I volunteered with.

P.S. You’re my brother Hugh (I like this guy) !!!

I was with the Excellence Centre for 2 weeks studying Arabic and teaching English. I would say the best thing about my experience was the fact that everybody was super friendly - from the teachers, to the volunteers and everybody that I've taught. I've made some good friends who have made the experience really enjoyable and have learnt a lot about myself as well as other cultures. The schedule was really relaxed so I had plenty of time to explore Halle also. Would definitely recommend this program for people of all ages and from all backgrounds!

I recently spent two weeks learning arabic and teaching english in Halle and I would say it was a great experience, especially as I have never done anything like it before! There were about 6 other people taking part in courses at the centre when I was there and everyone I got to know was really nice. The schedule from Monday to Thursday was quite relaxed which gave us plenty of time to explore the city. It was sunny every day so we spent a lot of time outside including in the park and a few of us even went on a boat ride on the river. Although it was a bit of a walk away, I would say the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte is also worth a visit. Overall the programme was really enjoyable and Ali was also a great teacher!

I applied for the Excellence Center in Europe’s ‘Teach English and Learn German’ volunteering programme with a view to maintaining and improving my German. The opportunity to be part of a community also appealed to me, as I would be travelling alone and am quite shy. I found the application process fairly straightforward and was accepted to stay for four weeks in May/June.

Before arriving, I had some contact with Rafat, the director of the Center. Emailing him was somewhat frustrating as his answers were often very vague; this is an area which could definitely be improved.

I arranged my own train travel from the UK. When I arrived in Halle, a housemate and fellow volunteer met me at the station and showed me to where we were staying, which took off the pressure of having to navigate through an unfamiliar city with big bags. The accommodation was a flat only 5 minutes’ walk from the Center – amazing location. The flat belonged to a local, but due to her working hours and also her staying elsewhere some of the time I didn’t see her very much. Instead I had a lot of contact with the two other volunteers in the flat, one of whom I shared a room with. For the first week I didn’t do much in terms of lessons as I didn’t have a schedule yet, but I found it useful to have a bit of time to settle in. Ali, a teacher at the Center, gave us a tour of Halle, which was great for getting to know the city.

I’ll give an outline of a typical day at the Center. First we would have breakfast all together in the Center or just outside (delicious fresh Levantine cooking which was very veggie-friendly!). A couple of people would help to wash up after breakfast while others started their lessons. I would teach and be taught as scheduled for that day, as well as planning lessons, doing homework and eating lunch in between. After I was done at the Center for the day I would sometimes visit somewhere in Halle with the other volunteers (e.g. a museum) or do some cleaning/washing. I had brought my violin with me and was thankfully also able to do some practice in the flat. Then I would get some dinner – sometimes eating out, sometimes there would be food at a social event (barbeque/picnic), or I could cook for myself in the kitchen in the flat. There was something social on pretty much every evening – we went along to quite a few Erasmus events so also met a lot of international students. In addition, I went to a few concerts in Leipzig – easily reachable on the S-Bahn, which is included in the Deutschlandticket.

In terms of teaching, I had three students (one of whom I taught beginner German – a bit of a challenge but lots of fun!). The lessons were one-to-one, with activities based on their level and aims. Lessons in which I was learning German were a bit different – volunteers were split into two groups based on level (beginners and those who had studied before). I especially enjoyed the ‘outside’ lessons, learning the language around Halle or Leipzig rather than in the Center. Lessons weren’t at a fixed time regularly, but organised individually based on people’s availability. For my teaching, this was typically once or twice a week for each student; frequency of German/Arabic lessons of course depends on how many hours are included in your programme.

I didn’t have to work on Fridays – it is supposed to be a day off – but I did anyway because it was best for one of my students in terms of availability. At the weekend I did a couple of day trips to Berlin and Hamburg (to use up my interrail ticket!) as well as exploring the area around Halle and hanging out with friends. A particular highlight was helping out at the Eid al-Adha celebrations in Halle – I had a lot of fun painting kids’ faces and watching the dabke!

In the week before I left Rafat organised a goodbye brunch for me and the other volunteer leaving, which was really lovely. I was glad to know who would be teaching my students when I was gone, so was able to tell them what we’d been doing.

Thinking back to my aims, I can definitely recommend the German teaching at the Center – Muaz is an incredible teacher and has given me invaluable strategies for independent learning as well. However I had thought that I would have more contact with my host family; if I could do one thing differently I would definitely be more proactive in talking to Germans. The community aspect was more than I could have asked for – everybody was so welcoming and friendly, and as I say there was no shortage of social events for volunteers to go along to.

If you’re unsure about affordability, I would make sure to take into account food/drink costs. Social events were often at bars, and the drinks costs add up… In addition, it’s probably a good idea to get the Deutschlandticket while you’re in Halle, which covers all public transport except intercity trains (but make sure to check!). As of writing, this costs €49 per calendar month. However, Halle is a small city, so it was possible for me to walk between the most important places.

Overall, the Excellence Center is an amazing place and I would definitely go back given the chance. It was truly wonderful to be able to talk to and exchange knowledge with people from different cultures with such mutual respect. I perhaps would have appreciated a bit more help with how to teach, but generally if you have a problem the staff will give you all the help and advice they can. I am so grateful to Rafat and the other staff for this incredible opportunity!

I choose this program because it looked very welcoming and inclusive. As an older volunteer this was important to me.
My instincts were right as the centre and volunteers are very welcoming and supportive whatever your background.
I was apprehensive about staying with a host family but I was matched well with a German family who were incredibly helpful and kind.
Whilst I didn't do as much teaching as I was expecting to the students I had were delightful. I found the lessons fun and stress free and there was a lot of flexibility.
If you are just starting out considering volunteer work abroad then this is an ideal program to give you confidence and make new friends in a supportive environment.
I was sad to leave and had a memorable experience

I came to the Excellence Center wanting to improve my German and help others adjusting to life in Germany, and I got all of that plus so much more. It is a lovely, ultra inclusive environment where participants share stories and learn about each others’ experiences. Though I was only there a week, I feel genuine connections with everyone at the center and I’ve left the experience with a lot of valuable perspective.

The volunteer schedule is quite flexible, which I loved as it gave me lots of time to explore Halle and the surrounding region. The language instruction is super engaging and really personalized to the students’ interests, which was a huge plus for me. And all of the Excellence Center staff are extremely kind and genuine. They have made my experience wonderful.

The fact that I feel so much like I am part of a community after just a few short days is a testament to the high quality of the center and how hard Rafat and his team have worked to create an engaging and truly special experience. I hope to come back soon!

My 2 week stay in Halle as an ESL volunteer and language student at the Excellence Centre was very pleasant.
The director Rafat and his staff including Enrico (my German language teacher), Ali and Moaz were all very welcoming and from the get go I knew that I will gel well with the team.
My program was a lot more flexible than I had anticipated but the flexibility allowed me to explore the beautiful city of Halle and also to get to know more about the other volunteer and student participants.
The accommodation provided by the Centre was also comfortable.
All in all the volunteering, socializing and sharing with a diverse group definitely enhanced my experience in Halle.

I was only here for one week but it feels much longer than that (in a good way). And I wish I could stay longer! I was lucky to have met some of the most brilliant people that come from different backgrounds and walks of life. Volunteers, people at the Center, students that I had classes with - all of them come together to create a big community that instantly makes you feel like you belong.

- Teaching English (albeit for a short time) consisted mostly of conversations in a wide range of topics, and the volunteer hours are somewhat flexibly arranged. As long as you come with an open mind and a bit of adoptability, you will be good to go.
- I was able to get a lot of help with my German as well! Whether you are a complete beginner with the language (German or Arabic) or want to improve your conversational skills, the classes will be well-tailored to your needs.

I would like to thank the Center again for the warm welcome and hospitality for the past week.